Spotted Orchids                          Dactylorhiza fuchsii

16 May 2008
The beginnings of a flowering Spotted Orchid were spotted on the south side of the Slonk Hill Cutting.


27 June 2007
There were still hundreds of Common Spotted Orchids on the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting, but some were well past their peak.

23 May 2007
Common Spotted Orchids were now frequently seen on the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting, but nowhere near the many hundreds at their peak. One was also seen on the Downs Link Cyclepath north of the the Toll Bridge in the meadow verge immediately south of the Cement Works.

20 May 2007
The first Common Spotted Orchids (one seen in full flower and others budding) were seen on the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting.
 
20 June 2006

There were hundreds of Common Spotted Orchids on the southern grassy area of the south bank of Slonk Hill Cutting as usual. Most of them were the normal mauve to purple with distinctly spotted leaves at the base of the plant, but there could have been 3% that were white with leaf spots that could be noticed but they were not nearly so clear. 
Common Spotted Orchid (whiter pale version)


27 June 2003
Slonk Hill has been cut in half by the A27 by-pass as the dual carriageway truck road (constructed 1971) and the southern area of the hill is now the steep chalky embankments of the dual carriageway. 

Spotted orchids (Photograph by Andy Horton)

The Spotted Orchids were scattered amongst the long grass and even the brambles over the area of a large overgrown garden
 

The southern bank was adorned like a meadow with an extensive display of Spotted Orchids near the footbridge to Slonk Hill Farm. The bank attracted butterflies including my first Comma Butterfly of the year, a Large White Butterfly with extensive black markings and a handful of aggressive Meadow Browns which tended to chase other butterflies away at any opportunity. 
This image on the left was taken at an angle of 45° from the top so the flower appears much shorter than it actually is. 
Main road embankment with 
Spotted Orchids, Ox-eye Daisies and Hawkweeds
 
30 April 2004
Attractive amongst the damp grass after the rain, the leaves of the Spotted Orchids, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, pushed themselves above the southern banks of the A27 By-pass between the longtitude of Buckingham Park and the bridge to Slonk Hill Farm. The footpath was passable for the whole route (usually the western part is overgrown) from the top of The Drive, Shoreham to the top of New Barn Road (bottom of Slonk Hill Farm Road).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Spotted Orchids on Slonk Hill, southern bank
11 June 2004

There were the usual hundreds of Spotted Orchids, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, on the A27 road embankment at Slonk Hill South.
 
 

11 June 2004
Spotted Orchids on Mill Hill (A27 bank north)A small clump of Spotted Orchids, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, are recorded on the road embankment (north-west) side to the south of Mill Hill, where the yellow patches are Bird's Foot Trefoil in flower.


Adur Orchids